Why Joey Bosa Makes Sense

In the ongoing why this player makes sense TBN continues with Ohio State’s Joey Bosa. The need for pass rushers is an obvious one for the Dallas Cowboys. Greg Hardy is not coming back based on all accounts from the people that I trust that are in the know. Jack Crawford and Jeremy Mincey aren’t under contract and Randy Gregory is suspended for the first four games of the season. That essentially leaves you with Demarcus Lawrence and Ryan Russell to get to the quarterback all by their lonesome. That isn’t how defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli likes to bring pressure.

Right now those on social media are in a frenzy because it is pretty clear unclear who is going to rush the passer. Joey Bosa is likely going to be the top rated pass rusher in this class that is pretty lean with quality edge guys. I’ve heard all of your concerns with Bosa too. No the sack numbers weren’t up to par with his previous season but I wouldn’t put too much weight into boxscore scouting. He does a lot of other things that will help this defense.

Bosa is stout against the run which is something that this team struggled against in 2015. Along with Cedric Thornton, Bosa would be a welcomed edition to the front four. He has the ability to stack up the offensive linemen and shed prior to tackling the ball carrier. At Ohio State he moved rushing from the outside to the inside somewhat frequently. He has some position flexibility that could be useful as a nickel rusher once Gregory returns from suspension.

As a pass rusher Bosa shows off a plethora of moves in his wheel house. He will bull rush, use a rip or swim move to get by offensive linemen. He lacks the elite speed of what fans fall in love with. Bosa does do something that this team needs and that is disruption plays. This past season while his sack numbers weren’t high he did have 16 tackles for loss. That shows he is constantly behind the line of scrimmage. Bosa will take on a lot of double teams that will allow guys like Sean Lee to make the play.

The best option is to play him at left defensive end and move Lawrence over to the right or weak side. Joey Bosa may not be the elite athlete that makes it a sexy pick but he is a smart move at pick four.

About Patrick Conn

Patrick Conn is the lead NFL Draft analyst for TBN. Over the past three years he has worked with Inside The Star, Blogging The Boys, and Fansided. His work has even been published on SI.com. Patrick has been on ESPN East Texas discussing the Cowboys and the NFL Draft. Follow him on twitter @DraftCowboys.